Blood Will Tell
by parhelia
Summary: Three years after OotP, Sirius returns from the veil. Later, Sirius is made a vampire against his will. Sirius and Remus are left to adjust to the changes. SBRL, etc.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Blood Will Tell

Author: jm

Fandom: Harry Potter, with a vague crossover with the Death Gate Cycle books in the beginning (_only_ in the beginning)

Codes: SB/RL, HP, SS, various other canon and original characters. AU. Features vampire!Sirius.

Rating: It is whatever passes for R these days. This is due to semi-explicit (usually mild) sexual situations, brief incidences of fantasy violence and gore, and mentions of off screen killing.

Disclaimer: This is an amateur not-for-profit fan work based upon the universe and characters created by J.K. Rowling--which are owned by her, her various publishers, and Warner Bros. Long may she write! The Death Gate Cycle books were penned by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I only borrow the barest ideas from those books, which aren't mine either.

Summary: After three years, Sirius returns from beyond the veil, only to be turned into a vampire without his consent. Now he and Remus are left to cope with the consequences.

Notes: This spontaneous work-in-progress is being written because I was _craving_ vampire Sirius stories recently and could not find fan fiction for it anywhere, particularly of the Sirius/Remus variety. So, I'm writing this purely for my own amusement, sans any serious plot. If anyone else enjoys it also, fabulous! If anyone else is inspired to write their own vampire Sirius fan fiction—even better!

Beta(s): I hope later on at some point. Volunteers gladly accepted.

Feedback: Constructive comments and criticism absolutely welcome; in fact, craved. Or, the random one-liner. I'm not picky. I love feedback!

"_This living hand, now warm and capable of earnest grasping,_

_Would if it were cold and in the icy silence of the tomb_

_So haunt thy days and chill thy dreaming nights—_

_That thou wouldst wish thine own heart dry of blood_

_So in my veins red life might stream again"_

_--John Keats_

Prologue.

A traveler from the far fractured future—where the world as we know it has been sundered into four equal parts, and contains magic very different from that in use now—entered a cell in Azkaban prison. At first glance, this man appeared unremarkable in every way. Plain mousy brown hair, brown eyes, wearing the most basic, functional, plain clothing imaginable; of average height and build… The man's pale skin appeared perfectly nondescript from what little could be observed peeping out from his clothing, which covered nearly every inch of his body, leaving only his hands below the wrists and his face uncovered. Even the man's neck had a covering of cloth wound around it.

This forgettable appearance suited the man just fine. He cultivated it. Blending in was a skill he highly prized. His orders were to not draw attention to himself in each of the worlds he visited, and to find a person at each destination who would promote as much chaos as possible in that world. The best choice for this chaos fomenter was a person who was intelligent, resourceful, strong, determined, and likely to stick around for quite a while. The man, known as Haplo in another place and time, chose the most celebrated and dangerous prisoner in Azkaban prison—Sirius Black.

Sirius Black caught Haplo's eye for quite a few reasons. Haplo quickly discovered that in this world, the wizards appeared to be using a slightly different sort of magic than what he had noticed the ordinary magicians of his world used. He had been told (and observed for himself) that humans were only capable of so much with the limited skills they possessed. But this human, who lacked the odd prop of a wooden stick that the humans of this place favored, still had the aura of strong magic about him. This wizard, Sirius Black, existed in this cruel jail overseen by the most foul, loathsome, magic-dampening creatures Haplo had ever encountered (and that was saying something, considering the Labyrinth he had grown up in), and yet still held the ability to cast powerful magic while others around him quickly went insane and died.

Yes, _this_ person would serve Haplo's purpose most excellently. The man Sirius Black appeared to want to escape his prison (sending his world into an uproar), protect some boy, overthrow the local magical government and fight some powerful dark wizard who was attempting a takeover of his own. All of these things were deliciously chaotic. In this man Haplo sensed the power, passion, and drive necessary for his tasks. It looked likely that this Sirius would succeed. Haplo didn't concern himself with this world's problems. He never took sides, and thus could care less whether the wizard Black would in actuality succeed. The only thing that mattered was that his chosen one cause as much chaos as possible for as long as he possibly could.

If Haplo were being honest with himself, he would have to admit that all of the survival skills and power this human possessed did not interest him nearly as much as the fact that this human wizard was a shape shifter—rare and intriguing in and of itself—and with a canine form in particular. Haplo himself had endured numerous hardships to escape his own deadly prison. At the very end, when freedom was almost within his grasp, he was attacked by several fierce monsters of the Labyrinth. Haplo thought that he would surely die, and it was a bitter thought, after coming so close to his freedom, but he was determined to die fighting. To his absolute surprise, a black dog appeared, badly wounded, and fought valiantly beside him, despite the fact that the dog must have been in considerable pain, and that the hopeless battle was draining what little life the dog had left, out of him.

Haplo was surprised by such loyalty and courage in the dog, especially since the dog was being harmed, rather than benefiting from its own actions. In the end, thanks to the dog, they were both finally freed from the Labyrinth's deadly clutches. Haplo discovered a keen intelligence shining from the dog's eyes, and the animal remained absolutely loyal to him wherever they went. The animal was extremely useful, and was, in fact, currently part of the reason Haplo made it into the prison undetected in the first place.

Now, Haplo was confronted with a larger, shaggier version of Dog, with the same fierce intelligence shining out of its gray, rather than brown, eyes. Haplo was not a sentimental man, but someone had to be chosen to bring chaos to this world. So, it might as well be this Dog Man who reminded him of his own loyal companion. Haplo would give to Dog Man some of his own advanced magic—just enough to give Dog Man the nudge he needed to escape. Certainly Dog Man appeared capable of it on his own, but he was taking too long for Haplo's liking.

So the Dog Man came to be inscribed with the same magic runes that covered nearly every inch of Haplo's skin underneath all of Haplo's clothing. These tattoos focused Haplo's own powerful, foreign magic throughout his body. The Dog Man, of course, did not receive nearly as many tattoos on his body as Haplo had on his own. There just wasn't time. Besides, no matter how special Dog Man was, he was still just a common human, after all, and therefore rather beneath Haplo's own advanced abilities.

Yet Haplo was quite impressed when Dog Man did not flinch in the slightest as Haplo carved the magic into his skin. Unconsciously, Haplo was really looking forward to the time when he could leave this world and travel on through the Death Gate to another place. Dog Man, whether he would admit it to himself or not, made Haplo distinctly…uneasy.

* * *

About four years passed in the Dog Man's world. Time ran differently for Haplo in his other plane of existence. He soon nearly forgot all about Dog Man. When Haplo had left Dog Man, he expected never to see him again. Haplo was busy developing troubles, and a conscience, of his own. Morals were proving to be damn inconvenient.

Fortunately, as it turned out for Haplo's own world, and quite by accident, the runes that became a part of Sirius Black would end up giving Sirius the ability to travel through the Death Gate, unlike any other human before him. In fact, the magic that was carved into the Dog Man drew Sirius straight to Haplo. Haplo was at first rather annoyed that his chaos bringer hadn't stayed put in his own world. However, Haplo came to be very thankful indeed when Sirius Black helped save Haplo's world from its own Dark Lord.

Therefore it came as no surprise that when the Dog Man asked for Haplo's assistance in getting back through the Death Gate to Sirius' own world, Haplo was glad to point him in the right direction. So it was that three years after Sirius Black fell through the veil in the Death Room of the Department of Mysteries, and one year after Harry Potter defeated Lord Voldemort, Sirius Black returned home. Harry Potter was very shortly to celebrate his nineteenth birthday, and it would be a birthday that he would never forget.

End Prologue.

* * *

July 1999. Present day.

Remus Lupin and Harry Potter currently formed the outer edges to a Sirius Black sandwich. Harry lay curled around his godfather in the large, soft bed. One of Harry's arms was around Sirius' neck; hand lying on the artery there, while Harry's other hand clutched one of Sirius' wrists, fingertips resting at the steadily throbbing pulse. Remus lay on Sirius' other side, his body pressed as close as humanly possible to his beloved Sirius, with his head positioned directly above the deep beating of Sirius' heart.

No matter how many times Sirius tried to reassure them that he was not planning on going anywhere, Remus and Harry, after witnessing what they thought was Sirius' death, were now extremely reluctant to let Sirius out of their sight for even a moment. This resulted in their keeping very close to him, even while they all slept. Without quite realizing it, Harry and Remus found it rather impossible to sleep unless they could feel for themselves that blood still pumped through his veins, and breath still passed from his lips. Sirius, although he understood it completely, was by turns finding it both deeply touching and a touch bothersome.

The next morning, Sirius woke a bit stiff and sweaty from lying in the same position for so long. Sirius tried to carefully stretch out his body without waking either of the two people currently sleeping basically all over him. This proved to be an impossible task. Sirius was only partially successful.

"Mmmph. Sirius," Harry murmured sleepily and snuggled closer to Sirius.

Remus burrowed into Sirius' neck and spoke quietly with a voice hoarse from sleep, "Wake, love?"

"Yes," Sirius answered, "and I'm hungry. How about I make us some breakfast?"

This was apparently the right thing to say, for Harry woke at once. "Breakfast! Yes! You know, Sirius, you're a pretty good cook. I never would have figured, especially since you're a pureblood. Remus only makes tea and toast!" Harry said.

Sirius laughed. "Well, what did you think I lived off of after I got my own place at seventeen? Sunday lunch at the Potters' only goes so far, Harry. I either had to learn to cook, or starve. It's simple, really. Cooking is a bit like Potions. I never had any trouble in Potions," Sirius said.

"And I did," Remus commented. "Potions was my worst subject, next to Herbology. Besides, I have two doting parents who have always been willing to serve up a home cooked meal whenever I've stopped by. During the years after, ah, before I started teaching at Hogwarts, many of my muggle jobs involved a free cooked meal as part of the payment. The pubs always served up a bit of something to the customers, and they were happy to be able to pay me less in exchange for food. Then there was that nice old Pakistani newsagent I worked for who introduced me to the joys of muggle television serials and fish and chips for a pound. Food in an instant, Harry! Quite the wonderful thing for the wizard who is awkward in the kitchen," Remus said with a rueful smile.

Harry looked dubious. "I'd rather Sirius make something, thanks," Harry said.

"Oh, let's eat out instead. Somewhere nice. Padfoot shouldn't have to cook," Remus said.

"Fine. I'll let you two work out where we're going to go. I have to use the toilet," Sirius remarked, getting up out of bed and heading into the bathroom. As he closed the door, he could hear them coming up to the door to talk to him through it. He shook his head with a wry smile. It appeared that 'personal space' was going to be a nonexistent concept for awhile yet.

"There's that new curry place, Padfoot, it's quite close by," Remus called through the door.

"Yeah, that smelled pretty good, when we walked by yesterday," Harry remarked. "Then we could go to that new Quidditch shop, they've got loads of new stuff in. I really want to show you the latest model broomstick, Sirius," Harry said enthusiastically, his voice coming through only slightly muffled.

"Better than your Firebolt then, Harry?" Sirius asked, teasing him.

"Well, of course I still have that," Harry hastily assured him.

"I should hope so," Remus said. "He went to quite a lot of trouble to get it to you, Harry, and that thing cost a fortune." Having had very little money for most of his life, Remus wasn't able to disregard cost as easily as Sirius and Harry. Still, now that Remus had plenty of money, he couldn't resist the urge to want to spoil Sirius a bit. Most of Sirius' life had been horrible and filled with little to be happy about, so that Remus' first impulse was to try to spend every moment making it up to Sirius. Remus was afraid that Sirius felt the same way when it came to Harry.

"There's that fancy muggle clothing shop on the high street as well. I want to stop in there and buy you some things, Sirius. Make you look like less of an escaped convict and more of a human," Remus said lightly.

The sound of running water signaled that Sirius was washing his hands. "I don't care where either of you want to go. Just getting to walk about as a free man is enough for me. Hope you don't mind my taking some time to kip out in the sun. It was always twilight in that…other place," Sirius said, his voice darkening when he mentioned his time beyond the veil. He stepped out of the bathroom.

"'Course not. Old people need their sleep," Harry joked.

"You never speak of your period…away, Sirius. Was it really that…awful?" Remus asked, cautiously.

"Yes," Sirius replied, shortly. "Sorry, but I don't want to talk about it. Perhaps someday I'll change my mind. But I doubt it."

An uncomfortable silence followed. The atmosphere in the room became tense, and Harry quickly tried to change the subject. "You would have been declared innocent sooner if we hadn't been so stupid and had actually remembered—"

"Your wand," Remus finished Harry's statement. "They kept everything from your arrest in those, those damned vaults at the Ministry," Remus said, his voice shaking with suppressed emotion. He continued speaking, each word filled with guilt and pain, "All that time, if we had only tried to help you, instead of shutting you up in this miserable house of horrors…"

"Everything, everything we needed, your wand, our memories, all the evidence was already there, and we were too self-absorbed to see. We didn't even need that filthy rat, Wormtail," Harry said.

"Although it was certainly satisfying when we did finally catch him, later," Remus said grimly.

"He got what was coming to him, the rotten bastard. I only wish it had been worse," Harry said, clenching his fists.

"Yes," Remus agreed.

Sirius sighed. "Look, we've already been over this. It's done; it's in the past. There's no use beating yourselves up over it now. I'd rather focus on more pleasant things," Sirius said.

"Like the fact that we don't need Grimmauld Place any longer," Remus said. "I'm only sorry you had to come back here at all, Sirius. I've just been so used to staying here. At first, after you had left, this mausoleum was all I had. Also, during the war, it was useful, of course. But now we can get rid of this house whenever you'd like."

"We could burn it down," Harry said gleefully.

"What do you mean, it was all you had?" Sirius questioned. "There was plenty in my vault. Not to mention all the Black family fortune as well," Sirius said.

"I'll even go fetch the matches," Harry said with relish.

"I don't think that will be necessary, Harry," Remus said mildly. "You recall we told you that Dumbledore wouldn't have you declared dead, Sirius? That meant your will couldn't come into play, naturally."

"But I wasn't dead!" Sirius said.

"_We_ didn't know that, though. Still, there wasn't really any proof. No…no body, or anything," Harry said.

"It served his purposes to keep you alive and at large, even if in name only," Remus said bitterly. "That way there was no chance for Narcissa to contest your will."

"So what did you live off of then?" Sirius asked, concerned.

"I still think we ought to torch the place," Harry said petulantly.

"_Harry_," Remus admonished reproachfully. "I sold most of the contents of this and your other houses, at least the ones in Britain. Mundungus helped with the more…dodgy items. I made sure to sell the contents of your father's wine cellar personally, however. I felt it would have been too tempting for him to sample the wares beforehand. They fetched a great deal of money, and careful investing has increased it all further," Remus said.

"Of course," Sirius said darkly. "My father always did have excellent taste."

"Why can't we just burn it to the ground? It'd be more satisfying," Harry complained.

"Because we ought to get everything we can out of the cursed place. One can never be too rich, or too thin," Remus quipped feebly, trying to lighten the mood. The sadness remained clearly visible in his eyes, however. "Still, it's entirely up to Padfoot what we do," Remus said.

"We'll sell it, and most of the other houses. I have a few properties abroad to unload as well. We should all get a fresh start," Sirius said decisively.

"Together," Harry declared. Sirius and Remus smiled.

"Definitely," Sirius said. "Then we can get that place you were wanting in the country, Harry."

"Perhaps we could purchase a place in town as well?" Remus questioned.

"Yes. We could have another home somewhere warm, too," Sirius said with a grin. "They ought to all have lots and lots of large windows, to let in the sunshine," Sirius said.

"We could start looking today! A house for my early birthday present!" Harry said excitedly. "It's my turn in the bathroom, by the way," Harry said offhandedly, heading in that direction.

"As if getting your godfather back wasn't enough," Remus said.

"Well, that really was all that I wanted, but now that I've got him back, I can be as greedy as I like," Harry said, coming over to Sirius and embracing him fiercely.

"You don't know how glad I am to be back," Sirius said.

Harry then kissed Sirius on the cheek and grabbed some clothes. "Hurry up and get ready, you two. I want to leave as soon as possible," he said, disappearing into the bathroom.

Sirius quickly grabbed random things out of the wardrobe for them to wear and tossed the clothes on the bed. As Sirius yanked off his nightshirt, Remus came up to him and pulled him close. "I know we only have a few moments, but I need to hold you without Harry in the room. I just need to touch you—God, so badly it hurts," Remus said desperately, wrapping an arm tightly around Sirius while caressing Sirius' chest with his other hand.

"Hey, it's all right, Remus. You have me. I promise," Sirius said, lightly brushing Remus' cheek. "It seems like you both need to touch me constantly. I understand. You both make excellent heaters at night," Sirius said with a laugh.

"Ah, you noticed that, then," Remus said, embarrassed. "Sorry, love. I'll open a window tonight. I just wish…"

"Yes?" Sirius asked.

"Well, I'd really like to be alone with you, sometimes. I know Harry needs you too, in his own way, but…" Remus said, gazing at Sirius earnestly, still holding him close.

"Harry's just making up for all those times when he couldn't climb into his parents' bed at night," Sirius said. "It will pass," Sirius reassured him. Sirius rubbed his hands down Remus' back gently.

"Yes, but…I love you, Sirius. I love you so, so much. And oh, God, I missed you. I need you, Sirius," Remus said.

"Feeling a bit randy, Mr. Moony?" Sirius inquired archly.

"I didn't mean just that, Padfoot, but yes, I'd love to have a chance to be intimate with you. It's rather impossible with Harry about every moment, however," Remus replied. "It's been over three years! You can hardly blame me for wanting to be with my gorgeous lover, can you?"

"Not really gorgeous any longer," Sirius said quietly.

"Yes, yes you are, Padfoot, and don't you dare think any differently," Remus said, still staring up at Sirius' face. Their noses were practically touching. They were sharing the same breath.

Sirius swallowed nervously. "You mean there wasn't anyone while I was…away? I mean, I know I wasn't with anyone, but I hardly dared to think that you…" Sirius trailed off.

"Oh Sirius, of course there wasn't another person! You've quite spoiled me for anyone else. I've only ever loved you that way, just you. During Azkaban, there were two others I had relations with, but it meant nothing. I was foolishly trying to forget you. I couldn't. I don't ever want to forget you," Remus said, holding Sirius' face lovingly.

"But this last time we were separated, you thought I was dead," Sirius said painfully.

"Yes," Remus responded, and he appeared to be holding back tears now. "Yet just because I thought you had died, doesn't mean I had stopped loving you. I'm yours, always," Remus said. He parted his lips slightly in invitation.

Sirius didn't need any more encouragement. He moved in for a passionate, open-mouthed kiss. Unfortunately, just as they were getting started, Harry walked back into the room. "Ugh, grownups kissing," Harry said. Sirius hastily broke off the kiss. Remus sighed.

"Technically, a young man in this very room who is nearly nineteen at this very moment certainly qualifies for the 'grownup' category himself," Sirius said.

"Although he doesn't seem to be acting his age," Remus said carefully, attempting to keep any hint of resentment at the interruption out of his voice.

"Huh. Well, you guys don't have time for snogging, anyway. You're not even dressed properly. Get a move on. I'll be downstairs, waiting," Harry said impatiently. He ran off.

"Right. Right," Remus said flatly. Reluctantly he moved away from Sirius and quickly started to change his clothing, keeping his eyes averted from watching Sirius do the same thing. There was too much temptation there.

"Soon, Moony, I promise. There are always showers," Sirius said encouragingly.

"And I want a Quidditch pitch in the back garden," Harry called up the stairs.

"Quidditch pitch?" Sirius smiled.

"Wonderful," Remus said, shaking his head.

* * *

Note: Sorry for the additional Author's Notes. I normally don't do stuff like this. But the story header at the beginning was getting long enough, plus, I realized some things only after I started writing this.

First of all, this is my first multi-chaptered fic. I don't tend to write long things, but I have the feeling that this may carry on for a while. Also, although I really want quite badly to get straight to the 'Sirius turns into a vampire' stuff, after I began this story, well, let's just say I know now that there has to be some set-up first. I even ended up doing a great deal of research into blood, blood donations, and various other medical things relating to blood, just so I could be more accurate and realistic when the time comes. It probably seems a bit silly for me to have pages of handwritten notes on medical stuff when vampires are fictional creatures, but there it is.

Plus, when I called my mom in England, I even asked her to Brit pick a bit for me. She informed me that the English don't have TV dinners as we know it in America. That made me change some things. I wanted very much to not only attempt accurate British slang (although I'm sure I failed), but to also use proper British spelling. For example, I do know that it is supposed to be spelled 'gaol', instead of 'jail' in England. However, I could not be confident that I would catch everything on my own. So, I tried to set Microsoft Word to UK spelling, but it wouldn't cooperate. Therefore, I decided it would have to be all or nothing in the spelling department for now. Forgive this ignorant American, please.

And did I mention how much I would cherish any reviews? I did? Well, sorry for being so shameless. begs anyway


	2. Chapter 2

Brief Author's Note: Disclaimer/Rating/etc. is in the header of the first chapter. I promise not to mention that again. The rating is for the overall story, not for each chapter. Further brief notes at the end of this chapter.

* * *

September 1999. Two months later.

The sun had set hours ago, but the waxing gibbous moon was a more recent addition to the night sky. That distant pale orb did its best to illuminate the world spread out below it with its reflected brilliance. A wide open lawn, normally a vivid green under the harsher light of day, appeared a more washed out blue-gray during the late evening hour. Surrounding the lawn on three sides were trees, blocking from view the less picturesque barriers of mundane fencing. Also there, invisible but far more effective at keeping those within safe, were magical wards lining the wooden fences.

On the fourth side, beyond the wide deck edged with a profusion of blooming foliage, stood a tall house, which was nearly glaring in its white coat of paint under the noon sun, but retained a more welcoming aspect when viewed during the moon's gentle influence. All the windows looked outward with dark, blind eyes, the only interior source of light being that which spilt faintly from French doors onto the deck outside. The doors led to what would eventually be a study, but was currently bare of all furniture except an owl perch and some candles.

This did not mean that the room was empty. The glossy hardwood floor held two occupants, both sitting cross legged over the remains of their Thai takeaway. Sirius sat lost in thought, slowly chewing the last of his broccoli. Remus wiped his face with a napkin, carelessly dropping it into the container in front of him. "So ends the first meal in our new home. Not bad, eh, Padfoot?" Remus asked.

Sirius cleaned himself off and pushed the remnants of his own meal to join Remus', then banished the lot. He pretended to ponder Remus' question deeply. "Hmm, I don't think there was enough garlic for my liking. Still, it could have been worse," he said, grinning. "Although, I wouldn't say no to a nice set of table and chairs next time," Sirius said, as he moved to lie out on the floor, propping his head up with his chin resting in the palm of his hand.

Remus smiled, turning to recline facing Sirius. "True, that would have been nice. We won't have long to wait, though. The furniture is supposed to all be delivered tomorrow morning, early. We ought to think about sleeping soon," Remus said. He reached out to trace Sirius' full lower lip with his finger and spoke quietly, "I'm so glad you had that other apartment added to the house for Harry, even if he will most likely end up spending the majority of his time with us. I hope this is the beginning of a bit more privacy for us."

"I'm sure it will be. You both seem slightly more capable now of leaving me alone for longer than ten minutes at a time without checking up on me, although I do emphasize the 'slightly'. So, this probably translates to there being less chance that Harry will be popping in on us constantly. Besides, with Harry thinking about starting Auror training soon, he will surely be too busy to hang out with his old godfather. It's a good thing he already took his year off for saving the world. Which reminds me, I should be hearing back shortly from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on whether I passed my recertification exam for becoming an Auror again," Sirius said, rolling his neck to remove a crick that had formed from lying on the floor.

"Sirius, are you positive about this?" Remus asked cautiously, frowning slightly.

"Of course I am. This is my chance to be really useful again. I should have been here, with you and Harry when you were all fighting Voldemort, not off helping someone else fight their own war," Sirius said passionately.

"But Padfoot, that wasn't your fault." Remus attempted to soothe him.

"That doesn't matter. The point is, even if I arrived late for the party, it doesn't mean I can't help with the clean up. I need to do this, Moony," Sirius said. He sounded agitated.

"There are many ways to be useful. You were brilliant at so many things in school. I know you were offered multiple career choices. Didn't you mention once that they were after you for a Healer position? If it wasn't for you, I don't know how I would have survived some of my nastier post-moon injuries," Remus said. He tried to be convincing without Sirius realizing that he was trying to talk Sirius out of the idea of resuming an Auror job.

"I only learned all I could about healing because of you. I wasn't much interested in it beyond helping you. However, if my parents hadn't been so dead set against my going for an Auror position, I would have considered being a Healer more seriously. Yet becoming an Auror—that was something I enjoyed, wanted, and really worked hard for. I needed to prove to them all that I wasn't like the other Blacks. Then Azkaban took it all away from me. I want it back. I want my _life_ back." Sirius was by now clearly adamant about the subject.

"All right, all right. I just want you to be sure. It's not as if you need the money," Remus said. He started to untuck Sirius' shirt as a distraction technique, and began unbuttoning it from the bottom.

"You don't need the money anymore either, Remus, but I don't see you giving up your research job at the Ministry," Sirius stated.

"Well now, my humble research position is hardly along the same lines as Auror duty. I'm not likely to be killed during work hours, for one thing. Also, it's no where near as glamorous as say, discovering the cure for pimples," Remus quipped.

Sirius huffed in quiet laughter. "Sorry, Moony, but Sacharissa Tugwood already beat you to that one."

"How unfortunate for me," Remus said lightly, his voice muffled by the skin directly below Sirius' ribs. Remus had by this time managed to work his partner's shirt nearly up to Sirius' neck. Remus began to brush his nose and lips across the sensitive flesh there.

"Hey! That tickles!" Sirius protested.

"Does it really?" Remus replied, amused. "How about this?" Remus began to trail kisses across Sirius' stomach. At first they were soft, barely-there kisses, a brief press of dry lips to exposed flesh. They slowly evolved into deeper, fervent, moist kisses, lingering over a mole _here_, or pausing at the faint line of hair dividing Sirius' stomach _there_. Without realizing it, Remus was careful not to touch any of the runes tattooed upon Sirius' skin. Instead, he traced along the outside of them with his tongue, stopping to kiss each unmarked bit of skin he found.

Sirius was torn between wanting to squirm away from the teasing, tingling feelings twitching over his skin, and trying to offer up more of himself to Remus' open adoration. Heat was pooling in his belly and spreading throughout his body, causing his cheeks and other things to flush rosy red in response. "Remus, you seem," Sirius had to pause for a steadying breath, "to have a bit of a stomach fetish."

"Mmm, yes, a bit. Can you blame me, though, when your stomach is so lovely?" Remus asked. He stopped speaking to place another kiss directly on the juncture of stomach and hipbone, causing Sirius to gasp. "Would you rather I had a foot fetish? Or an earlobe fetish? Or perhaps a nostril fetish?"

"I don't think I'd mind the earlobe fetish much," Sirius said.

"Well, your earlobes are very nice, but I'm completely happy down here right now, thank you. Such a delectable, fuzzy navel," Remus declared, punctuating his statement with a swipe of his warm tongue and poking his fingers into Sirius' navel. Between his fingers Remus now held a tiny bit of fluff.

"Moony," Sirius said with a laugh, "I was saving that."

"Were you now? Too bad, I think I want to start a collection; a Sirius stomach lint collection. Did you know your navel is always linty?" Remus asked, grinning. He pretended to study the piece of fluff critically. "Hmm, I think if I gather enough I might be able to knit a jumper. Perhaps you ought to start wearing more green. I don't think I like the gray lint. Although, gray clothing does go well with your eyes. It is a problem," Remus said, mock seriously.

"You could swirl the colors, like for a scarf." Sirius' breath hitched as Remus began kissing Sirius' skin once more. Sirius decided his best course of action was to cease speaking altogether, as other more pleasurable things stole his attention. Remus had somehow accomplished pulling both trousers and pants down on Sirius while his mind was focused elsewhere. Now, Sirius could not help being aware of this fact, as Remus moved his mouth further south.

Suddenly there was the most delicious feeling of wet warmth, and a raspy tongue, followed by suction right where he most wanted it to be. It was perfect, and he arched up into it, abandoning conscious thought to physical need. Time itself was without meaning. Only yes, more, and wonderful mattered, though they remained unarticulated.

The silence was finally broken when he returned to himself, now sated, and murmured a quiet thank you. Moments later a flushed and bright-eyed Remus Lupin brought himself up into Sirius' range of view. Remus leaned heavily on one arm while unbuttoning the last two buttons of Sirius' shirt with his other hand. Remus looked rather amused at something while helping Sirius off with his shirt, and Sirius naturally noticed. "Now it's my turn to reciprocate. What's so funny, anyway?" Sirius asked.

"You, thanking me for doing something I enjoyed so much. Silly Padfoot. Oh, and you don't have to reciprocate, I already took care of it," Remus said, as he cleaned off his hand with Sirius' shirt and tossed it aside.

"My shirt—oh, ta, Remus, so kind of you to use mine," Sirius said sarcastically.

Remus laughed. "Not a problem, Padfoot. Don't worry though, it'll wash," Remus said, grinning. He pulled most of his clothes off while Sirius retrieved his pants to sleep in. Remus turned to face Sirius and found Sirius sitting next to him, frowning. "What's wrong?" Remus asked immediately, concerned.

"You took care of it yourself when you didn't need to. I would have—" Sirius began to explain.

"Yes, I know you would have, but there was no need involved. I wanted to do it myself," Remus said, as Sirius sighed. Remus tried to get him to smile. "Look, that's what hands are for, right? I'm happy, you're happy, so there is nothing wrong here. Of course, knowing you as I do, you're going to sit and fret over what you think is fair. It's not like you won't have other opportunities, Sirius."

Remus' gentle teasing finally coaxed an answering smile from Sirius. "Well, you never know. One or both of us could be suddenly rendered permanently impotent, and this could be my last chance," Sirius joked. His expression turned thoughtful. "Remus, where were you planning on sleeping?" he asked.

"In our bed, of course. Why?" Remus asked.

"The same bed," Sirius said, "that won't be delivered until tomorrow morning?"

"Uh…yes, that bed. Oh dear, I hadn't thought of that. I didn't even realize when we arranged for our furniture delivery that we ought to have the bed sent by the day before," Remus said, chagrined.

"Right, I can fix this. I mean, are we wizards or not?" Sirius pulled his wand out from his cloak on the floor and waved it. Instantly several large navy blue floor cushions appeared. "There now, that's better," Sirius said. He transfigured his cloak into a blanket for the two of them. "Now we just need to worry about the fact that we don't have a wake-up call."

"That shouldn't matter with the French doors and the windows you had placed above them in here. The sun ought to be burning holes through our eyelids come dawn. The whole house will be lit up bright as day without any curtains around once it is morning," Remus said. He lay down on his side next to Sirius and draped his arm over the other man, pressing his cheek against Sirius' back. Instinctively his hand sought out the place directly over Sirius' heart. "You wanted light, you have it now," Remus said.

"Does it bother you? Perhaps we should have bought curtains after all. At least tonight it will work in our favor, since the lorry will be coming at some ridiculously early hour," Sirius said. He suppressed a yawn.

"No, it doesn't bother me; I like it. We don't even need curtains here since we're so isolated. Well, except for the bedrooms I suppose. Otherwise, the bathrooms all have high windows and skylights—it isn't as if people are going to be walking about on our roof," Remus said.

"Oh, I don't know, I might fancy a stroll sometime," Sirius said. He was less successful at hiding his drowsiness this time. "Quidditch can get rough, too," he said through a yawn. "End up on the roof."

"Speaking of which, when are they set to start on the Quidditch pitch?" Remus asked. He answered Sirius' yawn with one of his own.

"What?" Sirius asked sleepily.

"Construction on the great monstrosity—I mean, beloved Quidditch pitch for your darling godson, Sirius. When are they going to start?" Remus clarified.

"Oh, that. It's going to be next week, after the full moon. I wouldn't do it before. Always thinking of you, Moony. Don't want a lot of banging about before you've rested up," Sirius answered. His responses were becoming increasingly disjointed with sleep.

"Lucky me," Remus said. Warmth and contentment filled him, lulling Remus into a talkative mood. The pull of sleep was making him feel as if his mind was floating up somewhere above his body. A reckless urge to go where his thoughts willed overtook him. "Going to be able to keep Andromeda and Nymphadora from stopping by tomorrow? I know Andromeda has been barely able to restrain herself from poking about our various homes, and would love nothing more than a perfect excuse for a visit," Remus asked.

"Told her to wait 'til we're properly settled in," Sirius said, yawning loudly this time. "You know her, which means the day after tomorrow, probably."

Remus chuckled tiredly, the urge to speak still present. "Yes, I know her and Nymphadora better than I'd like. Not good enough for her beloved cousin, yet her daughter felt free to interfere with my love life, or lack thereof," Remus said, a bitter taste in his mouth at these words, even after all the time that had past.

Sirius seemed to rouse himself slightly at this. "What are you talking about, Remus? An' adores you."

"Perhaps now, yes. But back then? Quite the contrary, actually. Do you remember when you first introduced me to her? During seventh year spring hols, I think it was. She was the first to realize we had started dating, you know. I didn't want to tell anyone about us, so you introduced me as a school 'friend', but she saw right through that. She could barely wait for her chance to get me alone and tell me what she thought of me. I was declared unsuitable, untrustworthy, and she warned me she would be keeping an eye on me. I was threatened with some unknown and no doubt creative Black retribution if I ever hurt you. I don't suppose I ever told you about it, come to think of it. I probably didn't want to upset you. She is your favorite cousin, after all," Remus said.

"I just...I can't believe, after she snubbed the family, went ahead and married a Muggle-born, that she would hold your being an impoverished half-blood against you," Sirius said.

"I don't think it was that, exactly. It was probably a combination of things, really. However, honestly, Sirius, she was raised a Black, through and through. Some things are difficult to let go. Look at how her sisters turned out," Remus said.

Sirius was still facing the other way; Remus was spooned up against his back, so Remus could not see his expression as he spoke. But the pain managed to come through in his words just the same. "You might as well place me in the same category, Remus. Regulus may have tried to defect, but he died with the dark mark burned into his skin just the same. I have always been a Black, no matter how desperately I wanted otherwise.

"My mother, when she was in a particularly foul mood and busy shrieking my sins for the entire household to hear, wouldn't let me forget it. She told me how ungrateful I was, how I was breaking her heart after all the effort she put into bringing me into the world. She let me know what high hopes they all had for their perfectly engineered little pureblood heir, and what a failure I was for not toeing the family line. She was a Black herself, and she said she made sure to marry the very best of the male Blacks so that only the strongest, best genes would be passed down. She told me she smothered two infants before she was sure she had the perfect heir. Regulus was the spare, and then her job was done. After what she finally did to me, right before I ran away, to ensure that the family line would be preserved, I suppose it's not hard for me to believe she did all that," Sirius said, his voice so quiet it was merely a whisper of confessed past horrors.

A sick feeling settled in Remus' stomach. He hated Sirius' family. It seemed the damage done back then would always remain with Sirius. Each time Remus despaired of ever convincing Sirius of certain facts, yet knew he would try every chance he had— to prove that Sirius was good, worthy, and untainted by the stain of his cursed family. Not perfect, no one was perfect, but that Sirius deserved love, respect, and friendship just as much as any other decent person. "You are the only Black who has ever been sorted into Gryffindor. That has to count for something, doesn't it?" It was a mild defense this time, but Remus was sleepy and tried to put all he meant behind a kiss to Sirius' shoulder blade instead.

"According to my mother, that is the point from which everything went wrong with me. Anyway, we've gone off the subject. What is it you were saying about Tonks and your love life?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing gets past you, does it? I hadn't exactly meant to bring that up either. I believe it was a few months after we thought you'd died. Work for the Order was becoming increasingly grim. Tonks thought I should lighten up, as she put it, and have some fun; dating fun, apparently. This involved a new 'dating service' for witches and wizards. It's become quite popular, actually. They call it 'Cupid's Arrow', or some such nonsense.

"Anyway, it works by people placing ads and others responding to them. Tonks, without my knowledge, placed an ad for me. 'Werewolf wizard seeking open-minded witch. Must have a nice sense of humor, Animagus a plus.' That last was quite ridiculous. There were only six registered Animagi and all of them were over the age of sixty. Unregistered Animagi are equally rare, and I hardly wanted Rita Skeeter to answer the ad. I was horrified at the entire idea and told her so. She was very stubborn about it, and insisted I give it at least one chance. After all, what harm could one date do? I told her I was a grown man who was perfectly capable of finding my own date if I wished to do so, thank you very much. She wouldn't back down. I tried telling her I couldn't possibly accept a date from her ad regardless, as she had got the gender wrong. She laughed and told me that she would change it, but I should have informed her what I've really been hiding under my robes all this time. Of course she knew what I really meant, and said since she had already paid for it I could hardly refuse. It just seemed easier to give in to her and try it once. I figured I wouldn't even have to kiss the man. Then I could tell her what a terrible time I had and that would be the end of it," Remus said.

"Since I haven't heard anything about the fellow until now I'm assuming things didn't go well?" Sirius asked.

"You could say that. Tonks had stated I was a werewolf in the ad to keep people who would be upset by the idea from seeking a date with me right from the start. She joked that I might even get another werewolf to respond. It didn't work out quite the way she'd anticipated. The first person to answer the ad informed me up front that he was looking for someone to erotically cannibalize him, as it was his dearest fantasy to be eaten alive. He thought a werewolf would be perfect for the job," Remus said.

"My God. You didn't actually have to speak to this person face to face, did you?" Sirius asked, disgusted.

"No, this was strictly through anonymous owl post," Remus reassured him. "I wanted to end the whole thing right then, but Tonks said I ought to wait a bit and see what other sort of replies I received first. The second person to respond seemed all right, so we agreed to meet for dinner. We were almost finished with our meal before he mentioned that he wanted me to turn him into a werewolf. He said he had heard all about the wonderful benefits and special abilities that being a lycanthrope provided. He just couldn't wait to become one himself."

"You're joking," Sirius said.

"I wish I was. At least he wasn't a cheap date."

"What a nutter," Sirius grumbled.

"Tell me about it. I have no clue where people are getting the idea that being a werewolf gives one super powers. Anyone looking for the 'special benefits' of excruciating agony twice in one night every month, poor employment prospects, discrimination, and the constant fear that one may accidentally condemn another person to the same torture for the rest of his life may be attracted to the idea, I suppose. The only 'enhanced ability' I can think of would be a better sense of smell while in canine form, but who wants to be able to smell garbage all the better? The lack of opposable thumbs more than detracts from that, anyway," Remus said.

Sirius sighed and squeezed Remus' hand briefly. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I can't imagine anyone ever wanting to be turned into a Dark Creature willingly," Sirius said.

"Yes. I suppose I should be glad that things are a little better for werewolves now that Umbridge is gone, but it's as difficult as ever for hags and vampires. That dinner put an end to any further dating on my part, and Tonks got an earful when I returned to Order headquarters that evening," Remus said. Sirius laughed.

"She received similar treatment soon enough. Molly and Andromeda started in on her finding a good man and settling down herself. It drove Tonks mad. I actually began to feel a little sorry for her. She finally started dating Kingsley for a while," Remus said.

"Fit bloke, that Kingsley," Sirius commented.

"Indeed. As far as I know, she isn't seeing anyone now, but for a time Tonks was in a relationship with a muggle rock star. Molly strongly disapproved, naturally. Tonks claimed she was doing it for the free concert tickets and backstage passes," Remus said.

"I always knew she was a clever girl," Sirius stated.

Remus murmured his agreement.

* * *

November 1999.

Sirius went ahead and refilled his coffee cup for the fifth time in two hours. Idly he considered having a small coffeemaker placed directly at his desk, and was halfway through plans on how to charm the muggle device to work without electricity at Auror Headquarters when Tonks stopped him on his way back to his cubicle. "All right, Sirius?" she greeted him, squeezing his shoulder briefly.

"Yes, fine thanks. I'm just on my way back to my desk to finish some more paperwork." He gestured toward his cubicle with his cup of coffee and offered up a tired smile. A few pale violet paper airplanes flew over head, but the atmosphere was mostly relaxed. It was a slow day.

Tonks placed one hand on her hip and sighed. She shook her fringe on her shoulder length blue-tinted hair impatiently out of her eyes before addressing him. "You aren't fooling anyone, you know. My shift came and went today already, yet you're still here when you were in way before me this morning. You might try actually leaving sometime, Sirius. People are going to start to think you're a permanent fixture here."

He leaned against the wall and arched an eyebrow upward, looking her over. "Do my eyes deceive me or am I receiving a lecture about leaving work from someone who came back after making a successful escape?" Sirius drawled.

Tonks leaned in and ran one perfectly manicured nail down his cheek. "Right, because I always come in ready for work dressed like this," she said, shifting closer as her skirt rode up her thighs. A sleeveless top clung to her torso, leaving nothing to the imagination, particularly anything below her breasts, as the fabric ended there and bare skin began. A bellybutton piercing was visible due to the helpfully brief skirt Tonks was wearing. She stepped back, having made her point.

Timkins, a fellow Auror, watched the proceedings from over his cubicle wall with great amusement. "No, but you should! It would be a brilliant morale booster, like," Timkins said, leering at Tonks.

"Too bad for you then that they haven't managed to change the clothing regs, love," Tonks said with a cheeky grin.

"So you aren't going to stick around, are you? It'd brighten up our dreary evening. Magical Maintenance has given us nothing but rain for a straight week. Black's always about, but somehow I don't think seeing him in a skirt would produce the same result," Timkins said.

"No, sorry. I'm just here to pick up my bag. I actually know how to go out and have a good time, unlike some I could mention. A certain person seems to think the world will come to an end if he doesn't finish up all his paperwork," Tonks responded.

"Oh yeah, about that, cheers Black. I really appreciate you finishing mine," Timkins said.

"Don't mention it, and I mean that," Sirius said, annoyed at being caught out.

"Ah ha! So what's your excuse now? Going to finish the entire department's paperwork? I'm hurt that you didn't offer to do mine," Tonks joked, hiding her concern for Sirius under a smile. "Your birthday is in less than a week. I do hope you're taking that off, at least. I know I am. Remus will have something planned, I expect. It better involve scantily clad, well-oiled dancing boys and a lot of alcohol," Tonks said. Sirius gave a snort of disbelief.

A few other Aurors had paused in their work to listen in. Some actually stepped out of their cubicles for a moment. Warwick wiggled his hips at Tonks. "The lads 'round here wouldn't mind oiling up and dancing for you Tonks, eh boys?" Warwick commented.

"Good one, Gaz!" Timkins said with a laugh.

Nymphadora rolled her eyes. "Well, since it's for Sirius' birthday, he'll have to be the one to approve the talent," she said.

"You pay me enough and I'll give you a lap dance you'll never forget, Sirius mate," Warwick said, and winked. The others roared their approval. "I might even give you one for free, since it's your birthday and all."

"Hey now, chaps, the Ministry isn't paying you to stand around chatting up your co-workers," Dawlish, the Head of the Aurors, said as he walked in.

The Aurors went back to their business without complaint. Tonks patted Sirius on the arm and whispered, "Please, Sirius, just try and take better care of yourself. You look fagged out, and have done for a while now. I'm really worried about you."

"Great," Sirius murmured, "going into the advice business now? You ought to start up an agony aunt column."

"I'm only mentioning it because I care," she said quietly. Tonks nodded to Dawlish and walked off to get her bag.

Sirius watched her go. He quickly realized that Dawlish had come up to stand beside him. "You have a moment, Black?" Dawlish asked. "I need to speak with you."

"Yes, of course, sir," Sirius said. They both headed back to Sirius' cubicle.

When they arrived, Dawlish gestured for Sirius to sit in the only chair before Sirius could offer it to him. Dawlish then proceeded to sit in a clear spot on top of Sirius' desk. "I'll get right to the point, lad. Why are you still here?" Dawlish asked bluntly.

"Sir?" Sirius asked, mystified.

"Now, now, I'll have none of that, Black. You know what I'm on about. When you first started here, you would take all the shifts no one else wanted. You always asked for extra work whenever you could. You were driven, and I was impressed, I'll admit. None of which should be surprising with your excellent past record with the Aurors and the results of your recertification exam, of course. I'm beyond pleased to have you—you're one of the absolute best of the department. But when you start pulling double and triple shifts every day and refuse any time off, that's when I start to have a problem," Dawlish said.

"About that, sir, I was planning on taking a day off, and that's why I wanted to make sure I didn't have any paperwork around to build up," Sirius started to protest.

"Ah yes, well, usually people around here take at least a couple of days off _every week_ in the regular scheme of things. I hardly think a single day will cause a major back-up of work for you. Besides, I think you were done for the day a long time ago. Isn't that Johnson's report on your desk?" Dawlish asked shrewdly.

"Er, yeah, it is," Sirius answered, hastily shoving the report he was working on out of sight.

"Look, Black, I generally come across two motives for people overworking themselves in this job. There's the type that can't stand to leave because they have nothing worth going home to," Dawlish said, as he looked up and noticed Burke passing by Sirius' cubicle, "like Burke here, with his constant problems with the missus."

"Isn't that the truth," Burke chuckled, "a regular hag she is!" He continued on his way past.

"Then there's the type that needs the overtime, because of money troubles. Obviously, neither apply to your situation," Dawlish said, waving his hand toward the photos and other mementos decorating Sirius' cubicle.

Sitting on a corner of the desk was a tiny pedestal with a wire attached to it. On the other end of the wire a small motorbike flew around in circles. Next to the flying motorbike was a pewter figurine meant to represent a large shaggy dog. It sat attentively, ears perked and head cocked to one side. When the dog was stroked it became animated, running about licking the fingers of the one that touched it. On the desk resting beside these items stood a heavy, double oak frame with a brass hinge connecting the two glass openings.

In this frame on the left-hand side was a wizarding photograph of Black and Lupin, their arms about each other's waists, smiling faces looking directly at the camera as they waved merrily. The pair were clearly at a beach somewhere. The surf behind them continually advanced and retreated along the sand where they stood, never quite reaching them. A gentle breeze ruffled their hair as the sun shone down upon them. It was apparent that this photograph was taken recently, as Sirius did not appear markedly different now from the image of him that had been captured in the photo.

The wizarding photograph that occupied the space in the opening directly opposite the happy pair looked like a family grouping, albeit an unconventional one. Three men crouched down on a lawn, presumably to keep from obscuring the bright collection of tall wildflowers that grew behind them. The thicket of flowers lined a path running alongside a giant hedge maze towering in the background. The two older men, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, flanked a grinning Harry Potter. Potter had one of his arms outstretched, upon which a large snowy owl perched. The other two men each rested a hand casually on Potter's shoulders. Occasionally they would all wave lazily at the camera, or Black would turn toward Potter and say something that would remain forever unknown to the viewer, while Potter laughed silently.

Elsewhere about the cubicle walls hung numerous photographs, reminders of good times past. In one a clearly proud Sirius Black held an infant Harry Potter securely in his arms. In another a young couple on their wedding day stood together in domestic bliss—the man the near mirror image of Harry Potter—while a younger Sirius gazed at them, smiling, his arm slung over the shoulders of a youthful Remus Lupin. A third group photograph portrayed a young trio, the person in the middle unmistakably Harry Potter, while the two on either side of him appeared to be his friends Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. A few pictures showed either Sirius, Remus, or Harry alone, usually captured unaware of the photographer.

The last two items tacked to the wall were not photographs at all. One was a crayon drawing obviously made by a young child. The drawing was of a stick-figure little girl in a red triangle-like dress, standing beside a slightly better rendered enormous black dog, birds shaped like ms above them. Crudely inscribed on the drawing were the words _To Doggy, Love Julia. _The second item was an article from the _Daily Prophet_, with the bold headline reading: **_Sirius Black Innocent After All in a Serious Breach of Justice_**.

His attention briefly caught by the drawing on the wall, Dawlish inquired about it. "Darling thing, that picture. Made by your niece, was it?" he asked.

"Well, she is distantly related, but she's not my niece exactly. Julia is Percy and Penelope Weasley's daughter. They're family friends and Penny often has us do a spot of child minding for them. Julia's become quite fond of me and my alter ego Padfoot," Sirius said.

"Yes, I know the fellow. Percy Weasley works here at the Ministry, and he's quite ambitious, isn't he? This all proves my point, though. You have a," Dawlish hesitated slightly over the next word, "partner that cares for you very much, a devoted godson—who, by the way, is doing excellently in his Auror training, so I hear—and you're certainly not short of funds. Yet it seems you are determined to work yourself to death."

"You're absolutely right; I'm not working to avoid my family or for the pay. This isn't just a job. It's important to me in ways I can't even begin to explain. But sir, I honestly don't think I'm overworking myself. I think I'm handling it just fine," Sirius said. He was gripping the edge of his desk tightly as he spoke.

"Really? I find that hard to believe. I know I'm not the only one who has noticed you slowly killing yourself. You're bloody knackered, Black, beyond what is healthy. Coffee can't replace sleep. People suffering from severe sleep deprivation tend to make poor judgments, and are far more likely to get into accidents, fatal or otherwise. I won't sit back and watch you indulge in such destructive behavior. If this continues I'm afraid I'm going to have to put you on enforced leave for your health," Dawlish declared.

Sirius looked shocked. "No! Please, sir, that won't be necessary. I'll take whatever steps are needed to rectify the matter," Sirius said quickly. Dawlish looked satisfied at this. He nodded his head decisively and cast a privacy charm on the immediate area.

"I certainly hope so," Dawlish said. "I can't afford to lose you. I need my best and brightest in top form, now more than ever. Since You-Know-Who fell, people have been relaxing their guard. The Ministry is eager to transition back into peace time. All signs had been pointing toward this being a reasonable approach until very recently. We think that a few remaining Death Eaters may be trying to regroup and start something on their own. They may possibly be interested in finding a way to resurrect You-Know-Who. Our information is patchy at best. Obviously the Death Eaters—if we're correct in our assumption that it is indeed them—want to keep a low profile."

"What are we doing about it?" Sirius asked.

"That's the thing, isn't it? These are all very recent developments, and naturally we're running into the same problems as last time—trying to convince the higher-ups that there is indeed a problem. Thankfully, my boss and I are in complete agreement that something needs to be done. Now if only we could get the Minister to take his head out of his arse—well, let's just say we're fighting an uphill battle, but we _are_ making progress," Dawlish said.

"Bloody idiots," Sirius muttered.

"My sentiments exactly. Now that's not to say that we're sitting around twiddling our thumbs while the bastards run about free and easy. We have come up with a preliminary plan of action, but it's imperative that this is kept on a strictly need-to-know basis. We can't let word get out that we're on to them. It's probably obvious to you by now that I'm telling you all this for a reason. I want you for a very important secret mission. I feel that you're the only one for it, and the best hope we've got at the moment," Dawlish informed him.

"Well, I'm definitely interested. I take it my Animagus abilities will be of some use?" Sirius inquired.

"Oh yes, but that's only part of it. Of course it's an incredible asset, and very versatile; a bit of a trim, a bottle of muggle hair dye and you'll be a new dog, as it were. But your talents are extraordinary. You're intelligent, experienced and quick-thinking—all skills we desperately need right now. We want you to see if you can track them down, remain undetected, get all the information on their activities that you can, and perhaps even stop them from accomplishing whatever it is they're trying to do," Dawlish said.

Sirius flashed a quick grin. "Not a problem. I always try to do six impossible things before breakfast," he said.

"Excellent," Dawlish said, "I knew we could count on you. Now if I could just get you to take better care of yourself, we'd be all set. Black, I think part of your trouble is that you feel like you have something to prove to everyone. Your past is in the past, lad. You're innocent, and everyone knows it. Whatever your family may have done before has nothing to do with you. I don't believe in that rubbish about the sins of the fathers being visited upon the sons. You can't continue feeling guilty about something that isn't your fault. If you don't let it go, it'll haunt you the rest of your life."

Sirius remained silent for a moment. He stared at the photographs on the wall without seeing them. "Right, sir, I understand," Sirius said in a flat voice. "You can be sure that I'll be taking regular days off from now on."

"Good, good. Oh, and I noticed that you hadn't put in for your birthday off yet. I'm sure you meant to get around to it, so I've done it for you. Don't bother coming in on the day after either; you're off then, too," Dawlish said cheerfully. He took the privacy charm off the cubicle and rose from the desk. "Now I think it's time you packed it in for the day, Black."

Sirius stood also. "Yes, of course. Thank you for your confidence in me, sir," Sirius said quietly.

"It's well earned. I've no doubt about that," Dawlish replied.

"Excuse me," Remus Lupin said, peering into the cubicle, "I was just looking for—oh, hello, Sirius."

"Wonderful, Lupin. You're just in time to take him home," Dawlish said.

"Really?" Remus asked, surprised. "I was just planning on asking him if he wanted me to bring him some dinner on my way home. I hardly ever see him heading out at this time of the evening."

"Surprising, isn't it? He's agreed to start leaving at a more normal time from now on. Oh, and Black, since your birthday is in two days anyway, take the rest of the week off. We'll talk more at another time, all right?" Dawlish said.

"I—all right, sir," Sirius said.

"Lupin, look after him, will you? Good night," Dawlish said on his way out.

"Good night," Black and Lupin responded together.

Remus turned toward Sirius and embraced him. "Oh, _Sirius_," he said with a sigh, "it looks like someone else has finally noticed what I've been trying to tell you for a while now." Remus combed his fingers through Sirius' hair as he spoke.

"I'm _fine_," Sirius said defensively.

"And stubborn too, apparently," Remus said. "At least you'll be able to get some sleep now."

"Come on," Sirius said, resigned, "let's go catch the lift."

* * *

They managed to grab an empty lift. They were leaving between shifts, and the corridor had been deserted. As the lift jerked upward, vibrating faintly, Remus held Sirius' hands, looking over Sirius critically. "You look terrible. I kept trying to tell you. I've been so—"

"Worried; I know, I've heard it today from Tonks and my boss already. According to him, others think so too. What is with all this fussing over me?" Sirius asked, exasperated.

"I fuss because I love you. Someone ought to have your best interests at heart, especially since you're not doing a good job of it. You can't keep on this way. At least now we'll get to eat dinner together. It's been almost a week since the last time," Remus said.

"I hadn't realized it had been so long," Sirius admitted.

"Yes, well, I miss you, but who is counting, hmm? Work has been dreadfully tedious; I think we both desperately need a holiday. I hope you put in for one soon," Remus said.

"Yes, yes, I'll get it sorted. How about we take leave around Christmas?" Sirius asked.

"That would be perfect. You better know that I'm going to hold you to it," Remus replied.

"Yes, I know you. What about my birthday? Tonks says she wants mostly naked dancing boys," Sirius said.

Remus laughed. "That's rather foolishly optimistic of her, isn't it? I promise that it's going to be as fabulous as I can make it, Padfoot. I owe you a lot of birthdays," Remus said.

"Good," Sirius responded. The lift had stopped at another floor, but no one had entered it. They took advantage of the brief privacy to kiss.

"Mmm, Remus?" Sirius interrupted.

"Less talking, more kissing, Sirius," Remus answered.

"Moony, we're going to be arriving at another floor. People might get on the lift," Sirius said.

They reluctantly stepped apart just as the lift doors ground open with a metallic bang. "Level four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office, and Pest Advisory Bureau," the impassive female voice informed them. Two witches and a wizard stepped inside.

While the lift continued on, Remus stood, fretful and concerned over Sirius' well-being. Remus wondered how cooperative Sirius was going to be about taking care of himself. Sirius leaned against the lift wall, similarly thoughtful. Sirius' mind kept turning over the information his boss had disclosed to him. Sirius pondered his upcoming role in the secret mission he would be undertaking.

* * *

**A/N:** OK, first off, thank you so, so much to all my reviewers! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! Six reviews are the most I've ever received for a fic! I was so happy when the first person left a comment; I pathetically kept refreshing hoping for more. But, if even one person will stick with me until the end of the story, whenever that is, I'll be thrilled.

I'm sorry this chapter is so long, and that I haven't arrived at the vampire bits yet. But soon, I promise. Everything that comes before is full of clues and foreshadowing as to how and why Sirius is turned into a vampire. This chapter was actually supposed to have a third part to it, covering December 1999, but when I saw how long it was getting, I decided to make that into chapter three instead. It will have more action, plus we'll see Harry, Snape, McGonagall, Sirius, Remus, etc. I hope people keep reading!

Oh, and any comments at all about whether this story is working for you, any typos, etc. would be most appreciated. (Like whether or not I should have broken this up into two chapters instead, for example.) I still don't have a beta. I'll try to answer any questions anyone has too, but I don't want to spoil what's coming too much. In other words, feedback, please!

Finally, this story was plotted out **before** the release of HBP, so it will probably remain spoiler-free for that book. This is AU after OotP.


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